Blink and Wink Your Way Through New iPod Controls

We’re either getting terribly lazy or we’re running out of useful ideas. It seems that a new iPod controller has been developed in Japan wherein you can skip to the next track simply by blinking an eye.

On the one hand, you can see how something like this would be useful for people who have their hands full while listening to music — auto mechanics and so forth — or for people who don’t want to whip out their iPods into the public eye for fear of getting jacked. This way, you can rewind and fast forward simply by batting an eye.

The way it works is that a small camera is mounted either to your glasses or headphones and it is able to detect when you blink. These blinks have to be pretty deliberate — a strong wink for one second on one eye rewinds, the same with the other eye fast forwards, and the same with both eyes does the pause/play thing — so while there will likely be few glitches, you’ll look like an absolute doofus strongly winking at every passer-by.